"We probably haven't sent a telegraph in the state of Florida in more than a decade."

Florida lawmakers are transmitting a news bulletin: The telegraph era is over.

Before there was instant messaging, emails and even corded telephones, there was the reliable telegraph to instantaneously transmit messages far and wide. Now, people turn to the internet, text messaging, Twitter, gifs and emojis to write their long-distance notes.

While thumbing through a volume of Florida laws, state Rep. Tommy Gregory and a colleague came upon old statutes regulating the telegraph industry.

Gregory considered the statutes useless in today's era of smartphones and emails, and he moved to rip the laws out of the state's books.

A state House committee on Wednesday agreed unanimously to repeal Chapter 363 of the Florida Statute in its entirety. One lawmaker cheekily registered his vote by using his fingers to tap into the dais as if using Morse Code.

Read more at the AP